A day when everyone is Irish

Narrowsburg parade

March 20, 2013 —

An estimated 12% of Americans can trace their ancestry to Ireland. But on St. Patrick’s Day, countless honorary Irishmen and women don their green apparel and go out to celebrate the holiday of Ireland’s patron saint.

The first parade believed to have been held to honor St. Patrick’s Day took place in 1762 in the United States when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City. Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all over the world (www.history.com).

Here in the Upper Delaware River Valley, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations could be found all over this past weekend, with Jeffersonville, NY (see page 18) holding its second annual parade last Saturday, replete with floats, bands and mobs of folks decked out in all things green. This year, the hamlet of Narrowsburg, NY jumped on the bandwagon, holding its first-ever St. Paddy’s Day Parade (photos this page). Spearheaded by town councilman Ned Lang and attracting a crowd of onlookers from near and far, the parade attracted local groups, companies and individuals who stepped up and stepped out.

To view and share more photos of the St. Patrick’s Day Parades in our region, “like” The River Reporter on Facebook (www.facebook.com/theriverreporter) and tag your friends.